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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29893830">Brave Soldier Boy (Finally) Comes Marching Home</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TerraYoung/pseuds/TerraYoung'>TerraYoung</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>(lu ten), Also feat. my beef with canon having a teenager run a country, Feat. brief appearances from the Gaang, Gen, Lu Ten (Avatar) Lives, Lu Ten (Avatar)-centric, POV Second Person, implied Aromantic Characters</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 17:42:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,482</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29893830</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TerraYoung/pseuds/TerraYoung</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Lu Ten survives the Siege of Ba Sing Se, only to be immediately imprisoned. If it weren’t for his friendship with a young guard - and the tea they occasionally bring - he doesn’t know how he’d survive long enough to reunite with his family.<br/>Told in short snippets over Lu Ten’s roughly seven years in jail.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Iroh &amp; Lu Ten, Lu Ten &amp; Original Nonbinary Character(s), Lu Ten &amp; Zuko</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>93</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Brave Soldier Boy (Finally) Comes Marching Home</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24763906">Brewing Shenanigans</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caelum_Blue/pseuds/Caelum_Blue">Caelum_Blue</a>.
        </li>

    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Brewing Shenanigans is credited as an inspiration as I'm not sure I would've thought to write a Lu Ten-centered fic without it.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Almost four months in…</p><p>If it weren’t for the small window in your cell, you would’ve lost track of the days long ago. You’re no firebender - probably the first (almost-)Crown Prince not to be since way before Sozin’s reign - but you feel like you’d go crazy without regular access to the sun’s rays. It must just be a Fire Nation thing.</p><p>According to your makeshift calendar, you’ve been imprisoned for nearly four months now. And every week, like clockwork, the guards bring you “news” about home. You usually don’t believe them, given that they’re, y’know, <em> keeping you prisoner </em>, but sometimes it’s true enough to the people and nation you know that you can be fairly certain they’re not lying - that time.</p><p>...Like when one had told you Father had abandoned the Siege because of your (supposed) death. They’d meant it in a “he’s nothing more than a weak fool” kind of way, but you knew he must have been truly devastated at the news. You’d marked another week on the wall and forced back your tears until the guard left.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>XxXx</p><p>One year in...</p><p> </p><p>You’re pretty sure most of the guards have forgotten about you by now. Sure, you’re still getting your two square meals a day, but your personal news crew has stopped coming by. The last thing you heard about the outside world is that Grandfather is dead (somewhat believable, as he’s fairly old) and that <em> Uncle Ozai </em> has replaced him as Fire Lord (not that believable - he’s never been the <em> best </em> person, but he wouldn’t upset tradition like that. Right?). And that came in a few months ago. Nothing since - not even the weather, for Agni’s sake!</p><p>The news crew had never been fun, but without their weekly interruptions there’s nothing left to break up the monotony of sitting in your cell. You barely even notice your food being dropped off since you’re so used to it by this point.</p><p>“<em> Clang </em>!” And here it is again, the same old -</p><p>“Psst!” Someone whispers.</p><p>Wait, what?</p><p>“Pssssssst!” They try again.</p><p>“Are -“ your voice is hoarse from disuse - “Are you talking to <em> me </em>?”</p><p>“<em> No </em> , I’m talking to the <em> other </em> Fire Nation royal we’ve got locked up in here,” they say. “Yes, I’m talking to you!”</p><p>“O-kay. <em> Why </em> are you talking to me?”</p><p>You can’t see them through the (mostly) solid stone door, but you’re guessing the silence is from them shrugging or something similar.</p><p>“I get told my first day on my job that we’ve got the former Crown Prince of the Fire Nation on our bottom level, and yet no one understands why I’d want to talk to him.” They sigh dramatically. “I’m Bao, by the way.”</p><p>“...Lu Ten. But you already know that, apparently.” Maybe that one guard <em> wasn’t </em> lying. “And what do you mean, “former” Crown Prince?”</p><p>“You didn’t hear?” Bao asks before scoffing. “Of course you didn’t, you’re in jail. Ozai’s the Fire Lord now. Azulon made him his successor on his deathbed, apparently. Said there was no reason for your father to be Fire Lord without an heir. Heh, if only he knew.”</p><p>“Right. Real hilarious.”</p><p>“I wasn’t trying to - <em> shit </em>. Whatever. Mind if I ask a couple questions?”</p><p>You settle into your cot the best you can before replying, “You’re a guard. It’s not like I can stop you.”</p><p>“True,” Bao admits. “But I don’t see the point in pushing you. You won’t answer my questions if I piss you off, and forcing them out of you isn’t worth the effort.” They’re silent for a few moments. “That was supposed to be a joke.”</p><p>“Was I supposed to laugh at my always-possible torture?”</p><p>“...I just keep putting my foot in my mouth here, don’t I?”</p><p>You actually manage a chuckle at that. “Yeah, you kinda do.”</p><p>“Hey, I got you to laugh that time!” Bao says. “Admittedly, it was at my own expense, but still. So, <em> can </em> I ask you a couple questions?”</p><p>It’s a bit of a gamble, but... “On one condition.”</p><p>“Which is?”</p><p>“Come back again with some tea. Premade - I’m not a firebender, so I can’t heat it up myself.”</p><p>“What kind?” Bao asks.</p><p>“Ginseng.” Since it actually seems like Bao’s going to go through with this, you decide to tell them the truth here. The honesty might pay off in the long run. “It’s my father’s favorite. I miss him, and this is one of the few ways I can be connected to him while I’m in here.”</p><p>The hole the guards use to slide your food through widens slightly - Bao must be an earthbender - and an arm pokes through. It’s thin and covered in dark green fabric; the hand at the end is sandy-colored with dirt crammed under the nails. <em> Definitely </em> an earthbender.</p><p>“Want to shake on it?”</p><p>“...That <em> cannot </em> be a comfortable position for you.”</p><p>Bao snorts. “It really isn’t. So can we shake on it before I get stuck like this?”</p><p>“Sure.” You head over to the door before crouching beside it. Bending over, you quickly shake Bao’s hand.</p><p>Once you release it, Bao retracts their hand and returns the gap back to normal.</p><p>“I would’ve made it wider and more comfortable for the both of us, but then you might’ve tried to escape and...” Bao sighs. “I’m sorry, but I can’t allow that.”</p><p>And just like that, the bubble of camaraderie you’ve been forming pops, almost audibly. The two of you aren’t friends - <em> can’t </em> be friends - regardless of how unusually nice Bao is for a guard. You slump against your cell door. This is the first time you’ve been disappointed by inheriting your father’s affability.</p><p>“...I’ll be back sometime next week with the tea,” Bao says.</p><p>You can hear them getting up and walking away. Then you’re left alone in your cell once again.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>XxXx</p><p>Two years in...</p><p> </p><p>Bao’s visits have become as consistent as the news crew’s had been, though they’re monthly instead of weekly. Their tea is... passable, though it makes you long for your father’s brews.</p><p>“Okay, so I have good news and bad news,” Bao announces on their latest visit. No tea this time, unfortunately. “Which would you like first?”</p><p>You think for a moment. “Good news, please.”</p><p>“Since you’ve been such a “model prisoner”, I’ve managed to convince the higher-ups to let you out into the yard once in a while. Get you some fresh air and the direct access to the all-important sun that you Fire Nation folks won’t stop yammering on about.”</p><p>“Thank you,” you say. “And the bad news?”</p><p>“Well, it’s more bad news for you, kinda good news for the rest of the world...”</p><p>“<em> Bao </em>.”</p><p>They sigh. “Your cousin, Prince Zuko, got banished not too long ago. Details are scarce, but sources say he was told to find the Avatar. One even said he’s got a real nasty scar over one eye -“</p><p>“What?!”</p><p>“-But it’s one of our less reputable sources of news, so I doubt that that’s the truth.”</p><p>“It better not be,” you mutter. “Otherwise I’m challenging whoever did it to an Agni Kai, my lack of bending be damned.”</p><p>“...Holy shit,” Bao says. “I’m making a note to never make you mad. Anything I can do right now to prevent that from ever happening?”</p><p>Several answers leap to the tip of your tongue - the first and foremost being ‘<em> Get me out of here </em>’ - but you let most of them die there. Instead, you jokingly suggest, “Keep bringing me tea?”</p><p>“That’s more of a long-term thing, but it can definitely be arranged.”</p><p>“Good.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>XxXx</p><p>Three years in...</p><p> </p><p>From then on, Bao continues to frame every bit of information from the outside world in terms of good news/bad news. ...Even when that format doesn’t really fit.</p><p> </p><p>“So, good news - I got a raise for getting you to talk. Bad news is that they asked me to explain how I did it, and I doubt they’re going to accept ‘I gave him tea’.”</p><p>“Oh, poor thing.”</p><p>“Tha- Hey.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’ve got some bad news - your cousin really does have a nasty burn over one eye.”</p><p>“...And the good news.”</p><p>“It’s pretty well healed already?”</p><p> </p><p>“Good news for you, bad news for the rest of us. Got any guesses?”</p><p>“All out, Bao,” you reply. “Sorry.”</p><p>“Your father’s been spotted traveling with Prince Zuko.”</p><p><em> That </em> gets your attention. “Wait, he has? Is - Is <em> he </em> okay? Did Uncle Ozai banish him?”</p><p>“I need to take a second to absorb you referring to the Fire Lord as ‘Uncle Ozai’,” Bao half-jokes. A moment later, they continue, “Okay, second over. I’m not sure about the banishment situation, but your father appears to be in decent health. That’s why it’s bad news for the rest of us - over half the guards are panicking about what the Dragon of the West would do if he found out we have his son locked up here.”</p><p>“No offense, but I wouldn’t feel too bad for this place if he did,” you admit. “I’d put in a good word for you since you’ve been unnaturally nice for a guard, but far as the others go...”</p><p>“None taken.” Bao’s silent for so long after that, you start to think they’ve left mid-conversation. “Y’know, for someone who’s family is trying to take over the world, you’re a surprisingly decent person. If it were just my well-being on the line, I’d consider helping you escape, but...”</p><p>“But?”</p><p>Bao sighs. “I’ve got three younger siblings to take care of. If I was discovered helping a Fire Nation royal escape, there’s no way anyone else would hire me. Assuming they’d even let me live. And either way, there would be no way I’d be able to take care of them after that. Much as I like you, they come first. Always.”</p><p>“I understand,” you say. You huff out a laugh. “Knowing you’d let me out if you could makes me feel a bit better about becoming friends with a guard.”</p><p>“Friends?” Bao asks, sounding shocked. “Really?”</p><p>You nod, before remembering that Bao can’t see the gesture. "It’s not like I have a lot of other choices here, but - really. Despite the whole prisoner-guard deal, you’ve somehow become my friend.”  </p><p>“I’m… I’m really touched, Lu Ten. Never thought I’d become friends with a Fire Nation royal, though I’d also never thought I’d have a friend period. You spend all your free time taking care of your siblings after your parents die and for some reason no one wants to hang around.”</p><p>“How did they die?”</p><p>“Spirit Flu. They sent my siblings away as soon as they knew they were sick. I was in training for my position here, so I was pretty well isolated.” Bao snorts harshly. “Thanks to training’s stupid rules, I didn’t even know my parents were sick until I graduated and was finally able to read all my mail. They died before I could get back to my village.”</p><p>“I’m so sorry,” you reply. “My mother died not long after I was born. She was ill - some kind of wasting disease. The doctors told my parents that if she went through with the pregnancy, it could reduce the years she had left into months. Mom didn’t care. She said that she’d rather give me a long and healthy life than keep a few short years to herself.” You shake your head. “And here I am, stuck in a filthy jail cell.”</p><p>Bao laughs, a bit more genuinely this time. “Aren’t we a bunch of happy campers? Seriously, though, I’m sorry about your mom. At least I got to know both of my parents.”</p><p>“Thank you.”</p><p>“No problem.” There’s the faint sounds of Bao bending themself back into a standing position. “Listen, I gotta go finish my rounds. I’ll try to bring some tea with me next time.”</p><p> </p><p>XxXx</p><p>Four years in…</p><p> </p><p>Bao gets promoted somewhere around the four-year anniversary of you being stuck in jail. You’re happy for them since it means more money for them to bring home to their siblings, but it also means their new duties keep you from talking for long.</p><p>“I only have a couple minutes this time,” Bao says a few months after their promotion, “but I wanted to get you something.”</p><p>The slot for sliding your food rations widens and earthbending shoves… a cupcake through? It has a lit candle stuck in it and everything.</p><p>“What’s this for?” You ask, going to grab the surprise dessert. You carefully blow out the candle and peel off the wrapper.</p><p>“It’s your birthday!”</p><p>“Really?” You take a bite. Huh, vanilla. It’s not your favorite, but you haven’t had any dessert in <em> years </em> so you won’t complain.</p><p>“Really!” Bao parrots. “With the promotion came access to prisoner files. I flipped through yours a few days ago, saw it was your birthday, and asked one of my sisters to make you something. She thinks it’s for a fellow guard, but what she doesn’t know won’t hurt me.”</p><p>You finish off the cupcake, even licking the frosting remains off your fingers. “Well, tell her thank you for me.” You shove the wrapper and candle back through the slot. “Can’t believe I’m twenty-three years old already. I was supposed to have a huge party on my twenty-first - a whole ‘coming of age’ as the Crown Prince sort of thing, but…”</p><p>“And here I thought you were older than me,” Bao says. “I’m twenty-four and a half.” </p><p>“Wow. You’re such an old geezer.”</p><p>“I know! I should bend myself a cane and start telling kids to get off my lawn.”</p><p>“Do you even <em> have </em> a lawn?” You ask.</p><p>Bao pauses. “Okay, first step is getting a place with a lawn. <em> Then </em> I can yell at kids to get off of it.”</p><p>“Sounds like a plan.”</p><p> </p><p>XxXx</p><p>Five years in…</p><p> </p><p>“The Avatar is back!” Bao yells early one morning. “The <em> Avatar </em> is <em> back </em>!”</p><p>You force your eyes open and sit up with a groan. Despite living in the Fire Nation, you’ve never been much of an early riser. You had trained yourself to rise with the sun during your time in the army, but your time in jail has slowly eroded that skill.</p><p>“Did I interrupt your princely beauty sleep?” Bao teases. He flops to the ground with a light thud. </p><p>“Not sure how much beauty I can gain in a prison cell,” you mumble, “but yes. What were you saying about the Avatar?”</p><p>“He was just spotted on Kyoshi Island with a couple of Water Tribe kids. He’s an airbender and pretty much just a kid himself. But Oma and Shu, I think this war might <em> finally </em> turn in our favor!”</p><p>“...Because the guy who abandoned the world a century ago was spotted on some random island?” You rub your eyes. “Shouldn’t he be an old man by now, anyways?”</p><p>“At least he came back,” Bao retorts, “that’s better than nothing. And all I know is that our sources are saying there’s a kid with Air Nomad tattoos running around and calling himself the Avatar.”</p><p>“I hate to burst your bubble, Bao, but just because someone <em> says </em> they’re the Avatar doesn’t mean they <em> actually </em> are. He’s probably some kid either having fun or trying to inspire people. The Avatar’s been gone for too long for this to be him.”</p><p>Bao sighs. “<em> Someone </em> woke up on the wrong side of their cot this morning. Can’t you be even a little bit optimistic?”</p><p>“We’re on opposite sides of this war,” you force out. “Even if I believed that the Avatar was back, it wouldn’t be something for me to be happy about.”</p><p>“...Right. I had forgotten about that part.” Bao goes silent for a long while. “You really still think the Fire Nation’s right about this war? That everyone else is just a bunch of savages who need to be either controlled or wiped out? The Air Nomads didn’t even have an <em> army </em> and your great-grandfather <em> still </em> went to fight them all just so he could get rid of the Avatar. How can you be on their side after everything they’ve done?”</p><p>“No, I -” you groan. “I don’t know. I don’t really believe in <em> why </em> we’re doing it, but - the Fire Nation is my <em> home </em> , my <em> people </em> . As their prince, I can’t fight against them. And if I’m not against them, I’ve got to be <em> for </em> them.”</p><p>“Why?” Bao asks. “Why does it have to be one or the other? I mean, I’m not <em> for </em> you escaping because I can’t lose my job, but I’m not <em> against </em> it either because you’re my friend and I want you to be free. There’s more than two <em> jing </em>, so why can’t there be more than two sides?”</p><p>You groan again. “I wish my father was here. He’d have some saying or piece of wisdom that would make everything make sense. Even if I got a headache from trying to figure it out in the first place.”</p><p>“All I’ve got for you is - just sleep on it. Gain as much beauty and wisdom as you can from sleeping. Maybe things will make more sense when you wake up.”</p><p>“I can only dream.”</p><p>Bao laughs. “Nice one. I hope my advice helps.”</p><p>“Even if it doesn’t,” you say, “at least I’ll be better rested for any future antics of yours.”</p><p>“Antics? Me? <em> Never </em>.”</p><p>“Says the guard who woke me up way too early for a rumor about the Avatar.”</p><p>“I thought all Fire Nation people woke with the sun?” Bao asks.</p><p>“It’s only instinctive for firebenders,” you explain. “The rest of us follow along out of habit or duty, but it’s harder to do so without some kind of help. Plus, it’s not really something I’ve had to worry about while in jail.”</p><p>“Fire Nation folk can be night racoon-owls. You really do learn something new every day.”</p><p>“Yep. Now are you going to let me get back to my enlightening beauty sleep or…?”</p><p>“Okay, <em> fine </em>, I’m going, Your Highness,” Bao jokes. “Hopefully I’ll talk to you again soon.”</p><p>You just settle back under your covers - really, a raggedy and holey “blanket” - and close your eyes. Maybe things <em> will </em> make more sense later.</p><p> </p><p>XxXx</p><p>Six years in…</p><p> </p><p>It took more than one night’s worth of “beauty” sleep, but the dust eventually settles from having your morals and worldview stirred up. You came around to Bao’s point of view - you love your family, you love your nation, but you can’t agree with them on the justness of this war. It started with a genocide and didn’t improve from there. If this war ever ends, if you ever get free, if you ever see your father again - so many ifs - you hope you can convince him to join your change of heart. Assuming he’s even still alive to convince, given that information on his whereabouts stopped coming in over a month ago.</p><p>You shake your head free of the downwards spiral your thoughts have taken, so you can enjoy the rest of your time outside. If your father could survive a failed siege of Ba Sing Se, there couldn’t be much that could hurt him. Right?</p><p>“Lu Ten!” Bao shouts. “Lu Ten!”</p><p>What on earth is Bao <em> doing </em> ? Even putting aside the fact that you’ve almost <em> never </em> seen them when out in the yard, they’re usually more careful about hiding the fact that you know each other well.</p><p>Bao runs over to you, resting their hands on their legs, clearly out of breath. “I have- good news- for you.”</p><p>“And it couldn’t wait until we had less of an audience?” You ask, nodding your head in the direction of some of your fellow prisoners.</p><p>“The war is over.”</p><p>You blink. “What?”</p><p>“The war is over! Word just came from the Caldera - Fire Lord Ozai has been defeated! Something about his bending being taken away?” Bao frowns, but shakes it off. “Anyways, Prince Zuko is going to be instated as the next Fire Lord. The Avatar vouched for him for some reason.”</p><p>“My <em> sixteen-year old </em> cousin is going to become the <em> Fire Lord </em>?”</p><p>“<em> That’s </em> your take-away?”</p><p>“He’s <em> sixteen </em> !” You repeat. “He shouldn’t have to deal with running an entire country! He was a <em> kid </em> the last time I saw him!”</p><p>“You’re… really going to focus on that part, huh?” Bao notes. “Let me know when you’re ready to process the part where <em> the war ended </em>.”</p><p>You stop, center yourself, and take a deep breath. Right. Some perspective would probably be good. “It’s really over, huh?”</p><p>“It’s really over.” Bao grins, rests a hand on your shoulder. “You should be getting out of here in no time.”</p><p>“Wow.” You smile back. “I won’t miss this place - at all - but I <em> will </em> miss you.”</p><p>Bao rolls their eyes. “He says that like we won’t be writing each other letters at the <em> very </em> least. You have to meet my siblings, y’know. I’ve talked about you so much over the years that they’re convinced we’re dating or something. They’re also convinced you’re a <em> guard </em>, so they’ve got more than one shock coming.”</p><p>“I’ll put that on my things-to-do-once-I’m-free list, somewhere after “telling my father I’m not actually dead”.”</p><p>“Okay, I <em> guess </em> you can do that first.”</p><p>“Thanks for giving me your permission, <em> dear </em>,” you fake flirt.</p><p>“No.” Bao shudders. “Don’t do that again. Ever. Please keep all romantic activities at <em> least </em> several days’ travel from me.”</p><p>You laugh. “Don’t worry - that was enough to last me for the rest of my life.”</p><p> </p><p>XxXx</p><p>Six and a half years in/Zero days out…</p><p> </p><p>Your last day in jail begins like all of the others - terrible blanket, barely-edible food for breakfast, too much time alone. It’s not until mid-day that things change.</p><p>“You said he’s over here?” A raspy, unfamiliar voice shakes you from your daily meditation.</p><p>“Yes,” Bao’s much more familiar voice answers dryly. “I’ve been visiting him at least once a month for the last few years, so I doubt I’d have forgotten the way.” </p><p>“I’m sorry, I’m just… nervous, I guess. This was supposed to be a routine visit to negotiate releasing prisoners of war and then you mentioned Lu Ten and -”</p><p>Wait, raspy-voice knows who you are? You straighten up and try to make yourself presentable. If it were just Bao and some other guard, you wouldn’t bother, but if whoever this is has the authority to negotiate prisoner releases, then maybe a good impression will convince them to let you send a letter to your father.</p><p>“No, no, I get it.” Bao sounds even closer - they must be outside your cell by now. “We’re here, by the way.” </p><p>The door is earthbended into the ground with a loud rumble, revealing Bao in their usual guard’s uniform and someone in Fire Nation-red robes. Bao gestures towards you and the raspy-voiced stranger thanks them before entering.</p><p>“Lu - Lu Ten?” Raspy-voice asks. “Is that really - You’re really <em> alive </em>?”</p><p>You frown. “Do I know -” You take in the nasty burn scar over the left eye, then picture the young man - teenager, really - without it. Then picture him at least seven years younger. And less stressed. And - “<em> Zuko </em>?”</p><p>Zuko, it <em> has </em> to be him, smiles, tears gathering in his good eye. “Yeah, that’s me. Listen, I -”</p><p>You don’t let him finish whatever it was he planned to say, instead rushing forward to give him a hug. Zuko’s so much taller than he used to be - though still shorter than you - and it makes the hug a bit weird at first. You cling to him despite it. Tears stream from your own eyes and you take a second to hope Zuko doesn’t mind getting tear stains in his royal robes. </p><p>“Did they <em> really </em> make you Fire Lord?” You ask, once you’ve finally gathered the strength to pull away.</p><p>“Only formally,” Zuko answers. You breathe a sigh of relief. “Uncle’s acting as Regent until I’m old enough to rule on my own. I’ve been doing some things here and there to, uh, get my feet wet, though.”</p><p>“Thank the badgermoles, he's finally got an answer to that dilemma,” Bao interrupts. You glare at them over Zuko’s shoulder as they add, “I tell Lu Ten the war’s over, the old Fire Lord’s been defeated, etc. etc. and what’s his initial takeaway? That his sixteen-year old cousin’s been forced to rule a country.”</p><p>“<em> Bao </em>,” you warn. </p><p>Bao throws up their hands in mock surrender. “I’ll leave you to your reunion now. Try not to forget me, okay?”</p><p>“My nightmares won’t let me.”</p><p>Bao laughs, but remains true to their word and leaves you and Zuko be.</p><p>“So - So, Father’s okay?” You ask. “If he’s acting as Regent for you? There hasn’t been any news or anything about him since before the war ended. I was getting worried about him.”</p><p>“He’s fine,” Zuko says. “But, somehow he’s running a tea shop in the Caldera at the same time. I’m not sure when he sleeps.”</p><p>“I’ve missed him so much. <em> And </em> his tea.”</p><p>Zuko steps back, rolling his eyes. “I’d forgotten that you liked - <em> like </em>- tea just as much as him. It’s nothing more than hot leaf juice.”</p><p>“How could my own cousin say something so horrible?” You joke, resting a hand on your forehead dramatically.</p><p>“Oh Agni,” Zuko mutters, “now there’s two of them.” </p><p> </p><p>XxXx</p><p>One week free…</p><p> </p><p>Between Zuko finishing up the prisoner release terms and some not-so-great travel conditions, it takes the two of you about a week to return to Caldera. To Father. To <em> home </em>. </p><p>You haven’t been exposed to this much sun in <em> years </em> and it shows in your cracked and peeling skin. Sunburns are a small enough price to pay for simply being free, let alone everything else. In fact, you barely feel the pain over the excitement and dread warring within you. Zuko keeps - awkwardly - reassuring you that your father has missed you terribly and he’ll be happy to see you, but you can’t stop worrying about it. You’ve both changed over the last six-and-a-half years. What if you’ve changed too much to get along anymore?</p><p>The ship docks just as a - as a <em> flying bison </em> lands on the shore. A bunch of kids of varying ages, though all younger-looking than Zuko, hop off and run towards the ship. Zuko barely gets onto the dock before they all gangpile on him. You laugh and step around them so you can get onto the dock yourself.</p><p>“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friends, Zuko?” You ask, still chuckling.</p><p>One of the kids - bald, with blue arrow tattoos, and oh Agni this must be the <em> Avatar </em> - leaps off of Zuko and offers you his hand. “Hi, I’m Aang!” He gestures to the girl in blue- “This is Katara,” the boy in blue- “her brother Sokka,” the girl in green- “Toph,” and the girl in blue-ish green- “and Suki! What’s your name?”</p><p>“I’m Lu Ten - Zuko’s cousin,” you respond. </p><p>Sokka gets up, dusts off his pants, and eyes you warily. “I didn’t know Zuko <em> had </em> a cousin. He’s never mentioned you.”</p><p>“Probably because everyone thought I was dead for the last seven-ish years. I was captured during the Siege of Ba Sing Se and I’ve been in jail all this time.”</p><p>“Do you have any injuries that need checking out?” Katara asks, bending some water around her hands. “I can heal you quick before we head over to the palace.”</p><p>You hold up a hand. “I’m fine, but thank you. I just want to see my father as soon as possible.”</p><p>“Wait, you’re Uncle’s kid?” Toph frowns. “Break his heart again and you’ll be crushed by the earth quicker than you can say ‘badgermoles’.”</p><p>“...I wasn’t planning on it. I’m glad he’s had people who care about him, though.”</p><p>“He’s a good man,” Suki says as she helps Zuko up. </p><p>Aang nods enthusiastically. “And he makes the <em> best </em> tea!”</p><p>“I remember.” You nod towards the palace. “I’d love to keep talking, but I really need to get going.”</p><p>“Oh, sorry!” Aang twirls his staff around, causing wings to pop out on the upper sides. “I could fly you over, if you’d like.”</p><p>You glance over at Zuko, who shrugs. “Sure, why not?”</p><p> </p><p>XxXx</p><p>One week and several hours free…</p><p> </p><p>“Never. Again.” You stumble across the paved ground like a drunken sailor. Aang catches you before you can hit the ground. “I’m grateful for the help, Aang, but I’m <em> never </em> doing that again.”</p><p>Aang frowns. “I’m sure you’d get used to it eventually…”</p><p>“I’ll pass.” You study the palace for a moment. “Is everything still laid out the same in there? I can probably find Father on my own, if so.”</p><p>“I think so. You’re sure you don’t need any help?”</p><p>“I’m sure. I - I think I need to do this alone.”</p><p>Aang nods, hops on his glider, and flies back towards Zuko and his friends. You take a deep breath and plunge into the depths of the palace. </p><p>The changes are subtle, for the most part. Neither the layout nor most of the decorations have changed. What’s different is the <em> people </em> . Servants aren’t scurrying around like beetle-ants in the sun - they’re walking calmly, even chatting with one another. There doesn’t seem to be any more windows or openings, but the palace seems <em> brighter </em>. It’s all for the best, though you feel thrown off-kilter. And by this point you don’t think you can blame the feeling on Aang’s flying.</p><p>You’re on a first-name basis with <em> the Avatar </em>. That on its own could be enough to send you reeling. </p><p>It ends up taking at least half an hour to find the Fire Lord’s - or Regent Fire Lord’s - office chambers. Pressing your ear to the door, you can hear Father bustling around, maybe getting a pot of tea ready before getting some work done. Or taking a break from work to get some tea. Or - </p><p>You shake your head firmly. You’ve come too far to let nerves get the best of you at the last second. Taking a deep breath, you rap your knuckles on the door.</p><p>“Is that you, nephew?” Father - <em> Father </em> - asks. “Come on in. I’m just getting a pot of oolong tea ready.”</p><p>You smile fondly, then pull the door open. </p><p>Father looks like he’s aged over a decade, rather than just six-and-a-half years. He’s gone completely grey and wrinkles have already begun to form. You think he’s put on a couple pounds as well, but since he’s always been on the stouter side it’s hard to tell. Regardless of all the changes, it’s still so <em> very </em> good to see him again. </p><p>“How was your -” Father turns around and cuts off the rest of his sentence as soon as he sees you. The teapot he was holding slips through his fingers, crashing loudly against the ground. “Lu Ten? My boy, is it really you?”</p><p>Your throat is blocked by incoming tears, so you simply nod. Father’s eyes well up with tears of his own. He rushes over to you, ignoring the shards of pottery on the floor. </p><p>“You’ve grown so much,” Father says. He cups your cheeks in his hands. “How did you survive?”</p><p>“Honestly?” You choke out. “I have no idea. One second a boulder’s coming at me, the next I’m in a ton of pain in a prison infirmary. Never got the chance to ask for any details.”</p><p>Father drops his hands, then pulls you into a hug. “I’m so sorry. I should’ve gone looking for you, I shouldn’t have just <em> assumed </em> -”</p><p>“You couldn’t have known.”</p><p>You cling to each other for what feels like hours, but is realistically only minutes. Father is the first to pull away, though only far enough to press a kiss to the top of your head. He takes another step back and nearly slips on the spilled tea. </p><p>“I should probably clean this up before the tiles get stained,” Father says. “You can catch me up on your life while I work on it.”</p><p>“No, let me do it, Father.” You start searching for a towel or something else to dry the liquid with. “It’s my fault you dropped the teapot, after all. I’m sorry.”</p><p>Father smiles. “No apology is necessary. If breaking a teapot was all it took to right each of my wrongs, I’d destroy every single one the Fire Nation has ever made.” He finds two towels and throws one in your direction. “And for you, my son, I would have given up tea entirely if that would have brought you back to me.” Father slowly kneels to the ground. “Though I have to say - I’m glad it didn’t come to that!”</p><p>“And I’m glad I didn’t have to go without tea while I was in jail.” You kneel beside the spill as well and begin to wipe it up.</p><p>“Really? How did you arrange that?”</p><p>“Well, it all started when I met a guard named Bao…”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Headcanon voice actors for Lu Ten and Bao are Justin Min and Jes Tom, respectively. Also, Bao wasn't supposed to be in this fic so much, but I started writing them, fell in love, and then they stole the fic when I wasn't looking.<br/>Hope you enjoyed!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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